Aether
by The System is Down
Summary: Ike has just arrived at the Smash Fortress. But he has no idea what is in store for him. Rated T for some romance, IkexSamus. CHAPTER 7 UP!
1. Chapter 1: The Letter

CHAPTER 1: THE LETTER

This is my first fic, so go easy on me. The chapters will get longer, this is just a prologue of sorts. I do not own Super Smash Bros. or any of the other games mentioned. So anyways…

CHAPTER 1: THE LETTER

Ike arrived at the Smash Fortress with absolutely no idea of what to expect. He was a teenage boy of about 18 years and carried a large golden sword in addition to his luggage, his large muscles straining under the additional weight, his short, spiky blue hair waving in the gentle breeze. Just days ago, he had been at home in Crimea when he received a mysterious letter. It had said,

"Congratulations Sir Ike Greil of Crimea. Having shown considerable talent in the form of close combat, you have distinguished yourself internationally as a famous general and fighter. The Super Smash League (SSL) has found you worthy of enrolment. Should you choose to accept, respond to this letter at the address found at the end and the SSL will arrange a transport for you to arrive.

Signed,

Master Hand, League Coordinator

1st Pl., Mushroom Kingdom"

The letter had come as quite a shock to Ike. He had obviously heard of the SSL (who in the world hadn't?), the elite fighting league founded 2 years ago whose international popularity had skyrocketed overnight, but had never really payed it any attention. He did remember his longtime friend Marth receiving a similar invitation. Marth had accepted and had left for the Mushroom Kingdom shortly thereafter. Ike had given it some thought and decided that he would at least check it out, figuring he would be able to leave if he didn't find it to his liking.

He had written back to the Master Hand in acceptance and received a letter back saying transport to the Mushroom Kingdom would arrive in 3 days time. Ike traveled around Crimea for those 3 days saying goodbye to all of his friends, spending a much longer time with Princess Elincia, as there were political matters to consider in his departure. After making his rounds, he packed all necessary items in a bag and left for the docks, Ragnell in hand.

The boat ride to the Mushroom Kingdom had been relatively quick, and he arrived about a week later. He had then followed the directions enclosed in the letter and arrived a day later at 1st Pl. with no idea what was in store for him. The walls of the fortress loomed in front of him.

"Well, it's now or never," gulped Ike, and he slowly walked through the gates.

END CHAPTER 1

Yay, Chapter 1 finished. I'll try to put these out every other day or so.


	2. Chapter 2: The Welcoming Commitee

I got this one done early. It's longer than the last one by quite a bit, but still pretty short. I'll work on that. So without further ado…

CHAPTER 2: THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE

As soon as Ike past through the gates, he gasped. In front of him was an incredibly large and beautiful estate, the largest and most topographically diverse piece of property he had ever seen in his life. To his left, a forest stretched onwards towards the horizon with no visible end. To his right, a lake consumed a very large corner of the grounds. And straight ahead, at the end of a long path, lay the Smash Fortress, the largest and most defensible building in the modern world. Its numerous towers stood like soldiers against the world, while its walls towered almost over the towers themselves. From where he was standing, he could make out the shapes of hundreds of men patrolling the grounds and fortress, each and every one of them armed with what looked like guns. Ike was astonished at this fact, as guns where a relatively new technology to the continent of Tellius, and only the most elite warriors where permitted to carry them.

He had very little time to take all of this in, however, before the sound of a horse coming to a stop resounded behind him. Ike turned around to see a large brown horse standing just outside the gates. Seated on the horse was a blond boy with pointy ears who looked to be about 17 years old, very near Ike's own age of 18. He wore a long, floppy green hat and matching tunic, and carried a sword on his hip and a bow on his back.

The boy, noticing Ike said, "Hello. You must be one of the new competitors. My name is Link. What's yours?"

"My name is Ike."

"Well, Ike," said Link, as he climbed off of his horse, "Would you like me to give you a tour of the premises?"

"Yes, that would be much appreciated," said Ike.

"Then come, let us walk"

Link began to head down the winding path that led to the Fortress, Ike following close behind.

"So," said Link, "where are you from, Ike?"

Ike replied, "I'm a general in the Crimean army on the continent of Tellius. You?"

"I'm actually the Captain of the Royal Knights of Hyrule," boasted Link, somewhat lightheartedly.

"Really?" said Ike, slightly skeptical.

"Yeah," Link answered. "You see, I saved Hyrule from tyranny a while ago, and they appointed me as reward."

Ike realized how similar this was to his own story. "You don't say. You know, I saved the continent from the evil king of Daien."

"Cool. Well, you better get used to stories like this, because everyone whose competing has some sort of tale of country saving or something. They weren't chosen for no reason."

"Speaking of the tournament," Ike asked, "what exactly happens?"

"Well," said Link in his most authoritative voice, "the Master Hand, the league coordinator, chooses from the participants and pits them in non-lethal combat against each other in a multitude of stages built for this purpose. The rest of the rules will be explained in the orientation. Well, here we are."

They had reached the gates of the Fortress. They seemed even more impressive close-up, being several stories tall and about as wide. Link walked to one side of it and yelled into a tube that led up to the top of the wall, "Open the gates!"

A gruff voice repied, "Who's down there?"

"Link and Ike. He's new."

"Ah, just a second"

The voice died away and there were many moments of complete silence. This silence was violently broken by what sounded like a million mice being crushed by a large hammer, followed by a very large earthquake.

"Don't worry," said Link, practically screaming over the racket. "It's just the gates opening."

And indeed they were. The large metal grate was slowly inching to one side. The noise went on for quite a while and all of a sudden stopped when the grate screeched to a halt.

"Right this way, Ike," said Link.

END CHAPTER 2

Well, I got that one out of the way. By the way, reviews make me happy. Flames do not. Flames are for making s'mores, not rating stories. Please review (only constructive criticism unless you agree that this is the best story ever).


	3. Chapter 3: Settling in

Wow, I'm getting these done faster than I thought. This one's about twice as long as the last, and there's more dialogue.

CHAPTER 3: SETTLING IN

The foyer echoed with Ike's subsequent gasp. The vaulted ceiling was probably 100 feet high, and the room was ridiculously spacious. The polished marble floors shone as he and Link walked toward the desk in the middle.

As they neared the desk, Link called out to the receptionist, "Hey, Lina. Haven't seen you in a year or so. How've you been?"

Lina the receptionist looked up from the papers she was poring over and said in a very disinterested voice, "Oh, fine." When she noticed Ike standing next to Link, she said, "Oh, well you must be one of the new combatants. I have some paperwork for you to fill out."

She proceeded to heave a huge stack of papers onto the desk.

"What is all of this?" said Ike, astonished at the shear number of sheets and wondering just how many trees had died in order to make that stack possible.

"Oh, just liability forms, insurance claims, medical information, personal survey, and a standard combatant's contract," she said, getting back to the papers she was looking at earlier. "You're to go through the doors over there and meet the other competitors," she said, gesturing to a set of heavy French doors behind her."

Wordlessly, Ike picked up his paperwork and, unprepared for the weight, nearly fell over. Steadying himself, he said, "I hate paperwork," and shuffled towards the doors with Link, taking great care not to drop the papers.

Heading through the doors Lina had shown him, he promptly dropped the stack on a nearby table, and, looking up, observed the room around him. It seemed to be a dining room of sorts, with a long antique table stretching the length. There were also a few other people in the room with him, none of whom he had ever seen. Seated at the table were a large gorilla, and something that looked like a dinosaur/frog. In the corner were two large, dark men, one of whom had a jewel on his forehead, the other who was wearing full military combat gear, who were having a somewhat cold conversation that Ike could only hear snippets of. These men Link seemed to avoid, especially the bejeweled one. Ike wasn't sure he liked their presence either. Looking to see just where Link had gone, Ike saw him walking in the direction of two girls who were standing near the far wall, both in pink dresses and with blond hair. Ike noticed the taller of the two blushing slightly upon noticing Link. Ike followed Link over to them as he embraced them, the two obviously being close friends of his. Link saw Ike coming over and waved at him. Ike picked up the pace a little and arrived at the site of conversation. He had a better look at the two girls now. The shorter one had shorter, curly hair and wore a diamond tiara on her head and a jeweled necklace. She seemed very happy-go-lucky and energetic. The taller one had a more regal air about her, but seemed somewhat timid in the presence of Link. She had long, straight hair and wore a flowing silk gown and white gloves. She, like Link, also had pointy ears. Link smiled and introduced him, saying, "Girls, this is Ike, General of Crimea. He's new this year. Ike, this is Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Zelda of my homeland, Hyrule."

The shorter one, Peach, piped up, "Hi! Welcome to the Smash Fortress. I'm Peach and…" She only got that far before she began a seemingly endless stream of talking too lengthy to write. One thing was for sure: she was extremely enthusiastic.

While Peach was still talking almost breathlessly, Zelda interjected, "Hello, I'm Princess Zelda. I see you've already met Link. I hope you have a nice stay here."

When Peach finally stopped talking, Link said "Well, I should go introduce him to everyone else," and glanced over at the two men in the corner. "Well, almost everyone."

He proceeded to introduce Ike to the gorilla, whose name was Donkey Kong, and the dinosaur-frog, who I found out was named Yoshi. As they finished talking more people arrived. There was a young boy with angel wings, a kid my age with a baseball cap and backpack, and a blue-haired swordsman that I recognized instantly: "Marth!"

The swordsman looked in my direction and exclaimed, "Ike? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, who else would I be?"

"That's true. Only one person could possibly be that ugly."

"I resent that," amused Ike, sarcastically. "So how've you been? I haven't seen you since, well you came here a year ago."

Marth said, "I'm great. Oh, I should introduce you to the other new brawlers." He gestured to the angel boy. "This is Pit, from Skyworld." He then gestured to the boy in the hat. "And this is Ash, from Pallet Town in Kanto." Ash took off his hat, revealing short, spiky black hair. "Guys, this is Ike, an old friend of mine."

"Hey, what's up?" said Ash. Pit simply looked away. The angel looked really nervous about the whole ordeal.

"So, Ike, you know where you're staying yet?" inquired Marth.

"No, I haven't gotten that far," replied Ike.

"Check the top page of your paperwork, it should be there."

"Alright thanks," said Ike. He noticed that Pit and Ash were gone. Looking back at the room behind him, he saw that Pit was standing in the corner, looking very lonely. Ash, on the other hand, was heading over to where Link, Zelda, and Peach were talking. Peach noticed him and immediately stopped talking. This surprised Link and Zelda who introduced themselves. Ike chuckled at this and looked at the top page of the extremely large stack of papers he had left on the table. "It says I'm in room 30."

"Cool, I'm in 29," Marth remarked. "I'm next door."

Ike was quite pleased with this fact. "Well, I better head over there and start on this paperwork,"

"What, you're not going to stay and welcome the others?"

"No, I should start now if I hope to have it done soon."

"Well, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, see you." Ike then picked up his belongings and his paperwork and looked at Marth, having no idea where to go.

Marth said, "Oh, you just head down that hallway there and head up the first flight of stairs on your left. At the top turn right. You can't miss it."

Ike grunted, under the strain of his luggage, "Thanks," and proceeded down the indicated hallway. When he reached the top, he turned right, only to crash into something solid. His papers flew everywhere. Ike, realizing that the solid thing was a person, and that he had knocked them over, spluttered, "Oh my god, I am so sorry, I–"

But he was immediately silenced when he saw that the person was a girl and the most gorgeous he had ever seen. She had long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing a tight, blue jumpsuit that showed off all of her beautiful curves perfectly. "It's quite alright," said the girl as she got to her feet, not looking directly at him. "No harm done."

Ike attempted to utter some sort of answer, but to no avail. "_I think I'm in love,_" thought Ike, utterly dumbstruck.

"Would you like me to help you pick up your papers?" she said, still not looking at him.

Ike snapped out of his little daydream and managed to say a feeble, "Yeah."

She got down and began to pick up the papers, arranging them into somewhat neat stacks. Ike dropped down too and started to do the same. The girl said warmly, "Hi. I'm Samus. I haven't seen you around. You must be new this year." She was looking at the papers

"Yeah, I'm Ike," Ike mumbled weakly, staring at her.

"Well here you go," Samus said as she handed him his papers. When he took them from her hands, she looked directly at him for the first time. She was immediately silenced when she saw his face. "_Oh my god,_" she thought, seeing his face for the first time. "_He's absolutely gorgeous!_" She was unable to say anything for a few moments, just like Ike had. After recovering, she weakly said, "Um, well, uh, I need to, uh, go. Bye," and quickly ran down the stairs.

"Well that was odd," remarked Ike to no one in particular. He continued down the hallway counting the rooms. When he reached room 30, he opened the door to find a somewhat large room, with a bed on one end and a dresser on the opposite wall. Putting his things on the bed, he began to think of Samus and how she had reacted to him. "I think," Ike sighed, "I'm going to like it here."

END CHAPTER 3

It's getting easier and easier to come up with ideas. Thank you to Herr Wozzeck for his advice on the writing (I didn't try to end on a cliffhanger, just a wrap-up line or whatever it's called). The tournament starts in the next chapter, which should be up tommorow or the day after, but if anyone has any ideas on what should happen, tell me. Reviews are always welcome. But no flames, they burned my friend's hand.


	4. Chapter 4: The Tournament Begins

So, I've been cranking these out daily, and I'll try to keep it that way. The tournament has started! By the way, I'm treating each match as 1-stock and itemless (easier to write). Well, here you go…

CHAPTER 4: THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS

"And we're live in 5…4…3…2…1."

"WELCOME ALL SMASHERS TO THE SUPER SMASH BROS. TOURNAMENT!" yelled the announcer into his microphone.

It was a week since Ike had arrived, and in that week, about 20 other competitors had shown up as well. They were all standing in a large room assembled at the foot of a stage. The announcer, a short, chubby man with a moustache and a booming voice, was standing on the aforementioned stage, a huge screen flashing the SSL logo, a circle with two lines intersecting in the bottom left portion, taking up the wall behind him. The tournament was about to start.

"YOU WILL EACH BE ASSIGNED A COMPETITOR DAILY. YOU WILL FIGHT YOUR OPPONENT ON A PREPICKED STAGE. IF YOU WIN, YOU ADVANCE IN YOUR LEG OF THE TOURNAMENT, IF YOU LOSE, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE TOURNAMENT, THOUGH YOU MAY STAY AT THE FORTRESS IF YOU WISH. ANY QUESTIONS? NO? GOOD. THEN LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"

The gigantic screen suddenly changed, and a fight generator map came up. Everyone's face was in a box at the top, with two selection boxes at the bottom.

"THE FIRST COMPETITOR WILL BE…" boomed the announcer as faces began to flick through the selection boxes at alarming speeds, "MARIO!" A short, plump, mustachioed man in overalls and a red hat immediately jumped onto the stage and stood next to the announcer. "AND HIS OPPONENT WILL BE…" the man said as the faces flashed in the other box, "LUCAS!" Ike looked around to find that a small boy with short blond hair had appeared at the man's side almost before he had finished announcing his name. "THEY WILL BE FIGHTING ON THE…" yelled the announcer once again as the screen switched to the stage selection map, "ONETT!" The boy named Lucas smiled at this fact. The screen flashed a picture of a seemingly peaceful suburban neighborhood, three buildings in particular, one with a tree hanging over it, one with awnings jutting out from it's sides, and one with a telephone line directly overhead.

"NOW, IF YOU WILL PLEASE STEP ONTO THE TELEPORTERS, YOUR BRAWL WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY."

They did as they were told, and stepped onto the indicated glowing pads. They disappeared and reappeared in the stage on the screen. Ike was impressed by this feat of technology. "_But then again, I'm impressed at a lot of things,_" though Ike as he looked over at Samus, who, noticing his stare, blushed a bit and looked back at the screen.

Returning his attention to the fight, he was just in time to see Mario and Lucas appear in the stage. The announcer counted down, "3…2…1…GO!" and the two instantly engaged each other in combat. Ike was astounded at some of their attacks. Was Mario a Fire Sage? How did Lucas pick Mario up without touching him? These were a few of the things that ran through Ike's mind as the fight went on. He had no idea that some of these things were possible. The fight terminated, Mario being the victor.

"OH, SO SORRY LUCAS. HOWEVER, YOU WILL GET THE CHANCE TO FIGHT ANOTHER BATTLE AND, SHOULD YOU WIN, YOU WILL FIGHT MARIO AGAIN IN THE NEXT ROUND. DO YOU ACCEPT?"

Lucas nodded his head, hope in his eyes. This hope was shot down when his opponent for the remedial battle was announced: "SNAKE!" The crowd grew silent as the man in military gear I had seen my first day took the stage. Lucas looked scared out of his mind.

"YOU WILL BE FIGHTING IN…SHADOW MOSES ISLAND!"

The screen showed a picture of the exterior of what looked to be a military compound. It was large, cold, and bleak. Snake and Lucas walked on to the teleporter pads and disappeared. As soon as the fight started, Snake took out a bazooka and aimed it at the cowering Lucas. He said coldly, "You're not worth my time," and fired the rocket, sending Lucas flying off the screen.

Ike was flabbergasted. Snake had made such short work of Lucas. Ike had never seen a fight that was so short. "_Well, that explains why Lucas was so scared of him._" Snake wordlessly walked back into the crowd of competitors, while Lucas was taken to the medical ward to treat his injuries.

The next two matches went by rather quickly, with Kirby, a small pink puffball who could swallow people whole, beating R.O.B., a robot representing the Fortress in the tournament, and Wario, an ugly, fat man that reeked of garlic, defeating Pikachu, a small yellow mouse with electric properties. Both losers declined the offer of another challenge. Then it was Link's turn to fight.

Ike flashed a smile at Link as he walked to the pads. Link was fighting Captain Falcon, a bounty hunter in racing gear with a falcon emblem on his helmet. They were fighting on the Bridge of Eldin, a famous landmark in Hyrule. It was a very long, flat, narrow beam spanning a deep ravine. Link looked confident as he appeared on one end of the beam. The fight was commenced and Captain Falcon sent a flying kick in Link's direction, which Link easily blocked with his shield. Falcon let loose a flurry of quick jabs, but Link blocked every single one. They engaged in this manner for a long while, Captain Falcon on the offensive, and Link on the defensive. Captain Falcon was starting to tire. Wanting to end the fight, he charged up his secret weapon, the Falcon Punch. But the charge was a second too long. Sensing an opening, Link quickly swung his sword, striking Captain Falcon in gut, and knocking him into the ravine below. As Link emerged from the teleporter, he looked directly at Zelda with a look almost implying that he was seeking approval. Zelda merely turned a deep shade of crimson and looked away.

Link's had been the last fight for the day, and everyone went back to their rooms. The staff of the Fortress had arranged a party for the winners, but Snake and Wario hadn't showed up, much to the delight of many of the competitors. They ended up celebrating Kirby and Link's victories and getting quite drunk in the process. Several of the guests needed to be carried back to their rooms, while others simply passed out in mid-sentence. Ike tried to stay away from the alcohol for fear of fighting the next day. He was one of the only ones who did. As the party began to wrap up, he went back up to his room, carefully avoiding stepping on the hung-over bodies of those who had failed at this simple task. As he went to bed that night, he thought of Samus and how beautiful she had looked that day.

END CHAPTER 4

Well, that was fun. In case you couldn't tell, I've decided to make Snake somewhat evil. The fights continue and there will be a twist of sorts in the next chapter, so stay tuned.

I'm planning on having this become a kind of saga, so it will be very long by the time I'm finished. I've come up with a lot of great plot ideas, but if anyone has a good idea, I'm completely open to them. Remember, reviews make the world go round, and I live in California, so I'm used to flames, but I don't like them.


	5. Chapter 5: That Was Awkward

This one took a little longer to write. I had to write my Harvard-Westlake application too (I'm 14), so that took up a lot of my time for a couple days. And I had some trouble coming up with ideas for this chapter. But…

CHAPTER 5: That Was Awkward

Ike woke up the next morning with a sense of both anticipation and apprehension of what the day would bring. The tournament continued today! He looked at the clock by his bed and immediately filled with dread. 11:30. "SHIT! I'M LATE!" yelled Ike, jumping out of bed quite clumsily and falling face-first to the floor. He dashed out the door before realizing that he had forgotten to put clothes on and was wearing only his boxers. By the time he had realized it, he was halfway down the hall to the stairs. "_Oh crap,_" thought Ike, blushing slightly. He then looked down the hall and his face became beet-red. "_Oh double-crap._" Standing about 10 yards away and blushing almost as much as him was none other than Samus.

Ike was speechless. "I-uh, well, uh, late, and, um, forgot my, uh, pants," spluttered Ike and rushed back into his room, thoroughly embarrassed. Samus just stood there, looking confused and, in a bizarre way, somewhat pleased. Slamming the door behind him, Ike wordlessly put on his clothes very deliberately, so as to make sure nothing was missing or out of place, and poked his head out of the door. Seeing that the hall was empty, he stepped out and started heading for the dining hall, where he was sure everyone was gathered. "Why did it have to be her in the hall?" muttered Ike. "Why couldn't it have been Marth or Link or someone?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, Samus was heading in the same direction, and thinking about the same incident, but in a completely different way. "_Wow! He is really hot! I can't believe I caught him with his shirt off!_" This was about as far as she got because just then, she had reached the seemingly empty dining hall. This normally wouldn't be enough to cut her thoughts short except for the fact that there were two people in there with her. And those two people were kissing. Passionately.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ike arrived at the hall expecting another run in with Samus. He had prepared an entire alibi to present to her if the need arose and was going over it thoroughly, putting different inflections on it and judging the effect. "Samus, I'm _really_ sorry about – No. Samus, I'm really _sorry_ about – No. Samus, I-." As he rounded the corner to the dining hall, he was completely caught off guard. There right in front of him, were two people locked in a fervent and deep kiss. Looking across the room, he saw Samus gawking at the same thing.

"Ahem," coughed Ike. Link and Zelda sprung apart instantly. Link almost landed on the other side of the table, he had jumped so hard. They instantly began stumbling over each other's words, trying to come up with a reason why they had just been eating each other's faces off.

"I, well, um, we, uh, and she, um, and then, uh, we-" was about the only comprehensible thing Ike could pick out from the immense jumble of words issuing forth from the highly embarrassed and surprised couple. "Geez, guys, calm down," pleaded Ike, and they both ceased their futile attempts at explanation. Looking back over at Samus, whom Link and Zelda had not noticed yet, Ike saw that she was doubled over on the floor in silent laughter. He reluctantly turned his attention back to the distressed paramours in front of him, both of whom looked like a couple of shiny red tomatoes. "Now, what's going on between you two is none of my business, and I don't intend to make it mine, but could one of you tell me where the hell everyone went?" Ike asked, signifying the empty room they were all standing in.

"Oh, uh, yeah. They're, um, at the stage already," managed Link, still trying to regain his composure. "I already fought, and I came here to wish Zelda luck in her match, and well…"

"No need to explain further. Thanks." Ike smiled and left the room wondering many things and regretting that he had not asked them what the hell they were doing. As he headed over to the stage where everyone else was assembled for the matches, he bumped back into Samus on her way to the same place. "Well," she stated, almost failing to stifle a giggle, "That was awkward to say the least."

"And to say the most?" returned Ike, also attempting to hold back a similar laugh.

"To say the most, that was the most poorly handled situation I have ever seen in my life," teased Samus, with a strong hint of sarcasm in her tone. "I think a monkey could handle that better. Wait, Donkey Kong could definitely do it better than how you did."

"Oh really?" Ike teased back. "I didn't see you flying in to the rescue anywhere. All I saw was you curled on the floor laughing like a complete idiot."

"Well, I was laughing at how blunt that statement was." Then putting on her best imitation of Ike's deep voice, she mimicked, "WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY?!?!?!"

" I resent that!"

"I know you do."

"Oh you do, do you"

"Yeah, I do"

"Well," said Ike playfully, "what else do you know, O Wise Woman of Knowledge?"

"I know plenty."

Ike thought it over for a bit and stated, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"The plenty you know, of course."

"Well, I know for sure that DK could've handled the situation back there better than you," laughed Samus.

"Well, I know that."

"Oh, so you presume that you are smarter than Wise Woman of Knowledge?"

"I do so presume," retorted Ike "but I presume many things."

"Well, I'll have to ask what else you presume later."

"And why is that?"

"Because we're here."

And just as Samus said, they had arrived at stage entrance. "After you, Wise Woman of Knowledge," joked Ike as he held open the door and waved his arm in a very doorman-like manner. "Why thank you, sir," replied Samus, and she walked through the door. Ike called after her, "What, no tip?" and quickly followed suit.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Look at them, teasing each other like they were back in high school," sighed Zelda as she and Link followed Ike and Samus to the stage. "They are so ridiculously cute together."

"Mm hmm," said Link not really paying attention. "_Why did you have to interrupt us Ike? I was enjoying my moment with Zelda. But whatever, I guess it can't be helped_" was the summary of his thoughts at the moment. "Hey, Zel."

"Yes, Link?"

"Why can't we get along like that?"

"What," said Zelda, "you mean constantly teasing each other about unimportant things while consistently masking our true feelings for one another? We always do that."

"You've got a point there," replied Link, looking at the blond head of hair next to him as they entered the stage.

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The room was dark, and a smell of something that could only be described as foul or loathsome hung in the air. The space in the room was largely occupied by a number of control panels with alternatively blinking lights and buttons operated by a number of robots. In a large, black, high-backed armchair in the middle of the room sat a tall figure wearing a long, black cloak that completely covered his face and body. On the wall opposite him was a large screen, and on the screen were images of Ike and Samus.

"So," rasped the man in the chair to musty air, "it seems that some of the brawlers are developing relationships with one another. This could prove to be in our favor."


	6. Chapter 6: Where Loyalties Lie

Here you go, finally. I'm sorry it's late, I've been really busy with my high school transfer applications and stuff, so I haven't had a lot of time to right. Without further ado…

CHAPTER 6: WHERE LOYALTIES LIE

"There's simply no way you can beat me, Marth."

"Is that a challenge? I accept."

Marth and Ganondorf squared off, sizing each other up as they awaited the start of their match. The ceiling of the temple they were to fight in rose high above their heads, they're words echoing off of its age-worn tiles. "You have no chance," snarled Ganondorf. "I'm much too strong for you to defeat."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that crap before."

"That may be, but you will still lose."

"We'll see about that."

All of a sudden, a booming voice yelled out, "3… 2… 1… GO!" and they lunged for each other, and sword struck arm as Marth swung forward into Ganondorf's waiting defense. He was then sent flying as a bolt of dark energy erupted from Ganondorf's fist. Marth recovered, attacked, and was met with the same blockade of flesh as Ganondorf once again countered. Marth's blade danced elegantly, jumping and sliding to the rhythim of its master's heartbeat, yet every strike was met with Ganondorf's arm or leg, each of which merely shrugged off the hit and prepared for a devastating blow which sent the enemy flying back into a wall, only for the process to repeat again.

"You see, Marth," stated the evil king, delivering a particularly powerful attack that sent Marth crashing through the pillar behind him, "you cannot even come close to defeating me."

"That's… where… you're wrong," wheezed Marth, but he knew it was true. Ganondorf was more powerful than any man should be, and that power in a man like Ganondorf was nearly impossible for him to defeat. Marth hobbled to his feet, his newly inflicted wounds bleeding profusely. "I… won't… give…u-" Marth trailed off as he collapsed, unconscious, blood everywhere. Ganondorf smiled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The feeling in the stage room was shock. A few contestants looked on in admiration of Ganondorf, but the majority was dumbstruck. Link tightened his hold on Zelda's hand and seethed at the screen showing Ganondorf's face as she sobbed quietly into his shoulder. "_Looks like you're the same as always, Ganondorf._" Peach fainted, and Ash ran over to help her. Ike was furious. "_THAT WAS MY BEST FRIEND YOU JUST NEARLY KILLED!!!_" Ike screamed in his head. Samus was utterly flabbergasted.

The room fell silent as Ganondorf stepped out of the teleporter, followed closely behind by Marth on a stretcher that was immediately carried out of the room in the direction of the infirmary. The announcer said, in a much quieter voice then usual, "And that is the end of today's matches. Everybody rest up for tomorrow."

Silently, the occupants of the room filed out to their rooms until it was just Ike and Ganondorf. They stared at each other unblinking for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Ike wordlessly turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Samus watched the moon as it made it's lazy way across the night sky. She was worried. Ike was really upset, and with good reason, but Marth's beating had drained him. He barely spoke, even to her, and spent most of his time watching Marth, who was still unconscious in the infirmary. He didn't even show up for meals anymore.

"Ike, I miss you. Please come back to us," breathed Samus to the cool night air.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ganondorf walked quietly across the inner court of the fortress. He looked again at the note he had received a couple of hours earlier. It said to be at the foot of the northwest tower at 1am. It was 12: 55 now. Arriving at the specified location, he waited. Behind him, a hushed, slightly metallic voice said, "Ganondorf, I've been expecting you. You received my letter then?"

"Are you the Ancient Minister?" inquired Ganondorf, spinning around. In front of him was a large… thing, for lack of a better word, in a black cloak that completely covered everything except its eyes, which were glowing white. It was hovering on some sort of pad.

"So you did receive it. Well, Ganondorf, I have a proposition for you…"

END CHAPTER 6

Well, that's that. I thought after a light-hearted chapter like the last, I should have some sort of dramatic chapter following. Reviews make the world go round, and I'm pretty sure you don't want it to stop spinning.


	7. Chapter 7: Back to Normal

Yay! An update! Finally. I'm so incredibly sorry this was so late. Between finals, and my computer breaking, I've had a lot of trouble, but I'm free now, and I hope to update Aether much more frequently than I have recently.

Anyway, about the chapter. This is the first chapter I've written in a while, so I'm still trying to reorient myself with the story. Basically, I jumped forward in time about a month to save myself the strain of resuming exactly where I left off, so there's a gap between chapters 6 and 7. I'm warning you in case it doesn't make sense, which, hopefully, it will. So, without further ado…

CHAPTER 7: BACK TO NORMAL

"AND SO ENDS ROUND 1 OF THE ANNUAL SMASH TOURNAMENT!" boomed the announcer. "MY CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE STAYING, AND MY CONDOLENCES TO THOSE LEAVING US."

After a series of long, grueling battles, the air of the Smash Castle was abuzz with excitement as the first round of competition drew to a close. On the winning bracket were 17 names: Ike, Samus, Ganondorf, Snake, Mario, Wario, Kirby, Link, Zelda, Peach, Ash, Pit, Meta Knight, DK, Bowser, Lucario, and Fox.

The last round had gone by fast, mostly consisting of short, decisive battles that quickly eliminated all but the strongest. But no one in the castle could feel safe. Round 2 was where the real game began.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ike watched as Marth's chest rose and fell. It was the middle of the night in the dark infirmary, and Ike had scarcely left Marth's side since the accident. The Crimean sat slumped forward with a mixture of pain and concern that had been plastered on his face for days. Suddenly, for the first time in what seemed like ages, Ike stood up and walked away. As he left he took one final look at Marth and said to the empty air, "Ganondorf, you will pay for this."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The only word that could describe the cafeteria at lunchtime was loud. Link, Zelda, Ash, Peach and Samus were sitting together making conversation in the midst of the noise, most of which was caused by a drunken Wario dancing a tango with a less than willing Kirby on the tables, to the general amusement of the crowd.

"Wow," giggled Peach, "Kirby's not a bad dancer!"

"Yeah," replied Link, "but Wario really can't hold his liquor, can—"

Link was stunned silent as he noticed the doorway. Samus nearly fell out of her chair. Gradually the crowd grew silent as one by one they noticed as well, leaving a clueless Wario still swinging Kirby around the room. Ike stood in the doorway, looking a little awkward as the room continued to stare at him. By now even Wario stopped, allowing Kirby enough time to break free and run to the trash can to throw up. Finally Ike said, sheepishly, "What's up?" and went to sit with his friends. The noise struck up again as Wario looked for a new dance partner.

"Dude," Ash said in disbelief, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Ike. "I thought it over and I decided that there are better ways to worry. That, and…"

"And you were hungry."

"Well," grinned Ike, "yeah."

Samus beamed on the inside when she realized how much she missed his smile. "_Finally,_"she thought, "_things are back to normal._"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A pale blue light filled the room as Ganondorf and the Ancient Minister discussed their plans. All around them, machines hummed and whirled, generating a feeling of power that pulsed through the air. The Ancient Minster sneered.

"It seems as though we lack the staffing we need to run the Factory, Ganondorf."

"Fear not, my friend," answered Ganondorf in his low growl. "I have intercepted a shipment of R.O.B.'s to the Smash Fortress. They should be able to run the Factory suitably, once reprogrammed."

"Good, that is a step forward. However, if we are to enact our plan to the best possible outcome, we shall require the aid of some powerful allies. I believe that the best course of action in this case, would be to—"

"Incoming message, Minister, important," rang a female voice from nowhere.

"Thank you computer. Put it onscreen"

The opposing wall suddenly sprang to life as a large screen turned on. On the display was nothing but a mass of dark clouds.

"Minister, Ganondorf," rumbled a voice from deep within the clouds.

"Yes, my lord," the two said in unison, kneeling as they did so.

"I have some important news, Minister," rumbled the voice.

"Is it in regards to our current stage of the plan, because I think you will find everything to your satisfaction at the moment, master"

"No, Minister, though it is directly related to that."

"Than what is it regarding, master"

"It is regarding your current position. I feel that the plan is coming along much to slowly for my tastes. Therefore, I want Ganondorf to resume control of this operation."

"Thank you very much, my lord," replied Ganondorf. "I will not disappoint you."

"My lord," rasped the Ancient Minister, "Do not think that I question your judgement, but if Ganondorf is to take control, what am I to do?"

"You shall be in charge of Operations in the Factory, as well as recruiting for our army," said the voice. "You will start by attempting to obtain the help of several within the Smash Fortress in the way that you found Ganondorf here."

"Yes, my lord."

"And you, Ganondorf, shall help me with the manufacturing of our machine."

"Of course, my lord."

"I trust that both of you will perform your duties exceedingly well."

"Yes, my lord" they said in unison, nodding their heads fervently.

"Good, good. You will do what I have asked and await further orders. Good day."

"Thank you, my lord," said the two as the screen turned off.

END CHAPTER 7

Sweet, finished. I'm going to try and update for frequently from now on, so please expect some awesomeness in the future.

Please R&R, but flames are not accepted, only constructive criticism. Or if you just want to say how awesome it is, that is acceptable as well.


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